Soundbar driver reccomendations?

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I like the idea of having the ports exit in the middle facing forwards. I think I can probably do 20 L if I shrink the space for the FE85 a little bit. My biggest concern is going to be making sure I have enough strength for the TV in the center. I haven't used hornresp before. I'll check that out this weekend.

Also, I got all the boards laid out and I would be able to fit everything easily into a 4'x5' area. I'm debating between MDF and Baltic Birch plywood. At this point cost really isn't a concern, as long as it looks and sounds good.
Lastly, what wound be a good choice for stuffing?
 
Wool felt would be my choice for the chamber with the FE85, and for the 1139SIF a layer of "egg crate" OCF (open cell foam) on the internal floor should be a good starting point.
But I do not know what you have available, lots of things can work "well enough".

If cost is not that important there is no reason at all to choose MDF.
Plywood is the thing to use, 15mm thickness should get you by just fine.
 
If that diagram/drawing of your room/screen placement is accurate, I’d approach this in a completely different way.

There’s no need for a center due to the close proximity of left and right. Phantom processing all the way.

Those two small vertical strips where the side walls meet the corner?.....vertical array of multiple small format fullrange drivers.....say 8 2.5” fullrange drivers.......slim sealed high Q enclosures to force a natural 2nd order high pass that would work with a sub crossover. Your side walls at that angle mated to the vertical arrays will sum extremely well and give a massive sense of space in the room but still localize vocals when processed via phantom CC.

Behind the Screen......compact 8-10” Subwoofer low passed to your mains at 120hz.
 
its funny you should suggest the line array towers approach. Right around the time you posted my wife was asking if that sort of thing would be possible.

The CAD that I have is accurate, and I do have some space on either side of the TV. I looked on parts-express and found these Aurasound NSW2-326-8AT that look like they might be a good fit if I can't get the FE85s to work in the space next to the TV.

How would I use phantom processing to get a virtual CC? Is that something the Minidsp HD could handle, or would I need a more expensive dsp device?

Regarding the subs, I have a pair of aura NS6-255-8A laying around that I could probably convert into dual powered subs. Otherwise, I'll probably just go with a Dayton 8" powered sub for. Some of it depends on how ridiculous my tax refund is.
 
It is most likely a bit easier than making the soundbar, and the TV will be a bit lower, which is probably a good thing.
Can't help but think that an array that small might be better to curve, to get better vertical dispersion. But the Array people should chime in on this.

What do you need a center channel for? No point IMO.

Edit:
Regarding subs, I'd personally prefer having a couple subs on the floor somewhere, could always make them like sort of pedestals for some plants if stealth is a must.
Putting a sub in that space behind the tv might produce a bit uneven response in the room.
 
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Yeah, the height of the TV was my wife's biggest concern.

I'm thinking either 15 of the NSW2 drivers on each side, or 9-12 of a 2.5" driver. I don't think I'll have enough room for a proper 3" driver unless I can find a really shallow one, or one with a small diameter magnet.


Instead of a curve, I was planning to throw some time delay passive circuitry into the mix and make the curve virtually. Is that practical/easy to do with passive components. If I go with the NSW2, and 3d print the enclosure (that would be easy) I could definetly incorporate a 2000-3000mm radius curve. How would I determine the size of the curve?
 
I am not the right person to discuss Arrays with.
It is not something I've spent time on, have you checked the Array threads here? there's quite a lot of info.

I was just thinking that any array that does not cover the vertical listening space properly, IE an array that is "too short" should be curved in order to avoid nulls.
 
So I spent some time playing around with curved arrays, and it looks like I just don't have enough depth to do it properly. Also, buying 30 of those drivers plus the associated amps and stuff would put me way over my budget.

I think I am going to back track a bit here, and go with a somewhat more traditional 2.1 system. I really like the FE85s, and can easily make individual enclosures for those to place at the bottom corners of the TV. I will still use the minidsp hd, so I'll put it and the stereo amp in their own enclosure behind the tv. Then I am going to add a sub on (somewhere on the floor), and that should get me close to the performance I could've had with the dual 1139SIFs. Perhaps once I move to a different place, I will make a TV stand w/ integrated speakers and then I can add the TB woofers.
 
That sounds like a good plan.

The FE85's will have to be placed some distance from the sub then?
Maybe try and see if you can have the sub on the floor, centered somewhere between the FE85's. Distance might become a problem, since the FE85's do not "like" to play down low, an xo at 150hz-200 or so might work, but only if the sub is placed somewhere in the vicinity of the intended sounstage.

If you're going to get a more suitable space for the setup, I would perhaps consider making a modular design, with the FE85's in some neat little boxes, or orbs, and perhaps a "stand" for each, with a single 8" in a ported enclosure. XO maybe 300-400hz?

I am imagining a couple of wooden orbs on glossy piano black pillars, you could put the orbs on a wooden ring on top, so you can angle them however you like.
Just a suggestion, looks nice inside my head. :)
 
Is the sub to satellite important only because the fe85 don't like to go very low so some of the sound from the sub will be directional?

Currently I have some basic .93l boxes modeled to hold the FE85s. They are designed to fit in the space below the tv screen, and fit on my printer. I had figured I wouldn't need the port since I will have the sub, but it might be a good idea to do the port anyways. I do like the idea of spherical speakers on swivel mounts for better aiming. The only challenge there is my wife isn't too keen on the speakers above the tv look. Especially if it looks like Mickey Mouse ears. The sub could be placed off to the side of the tv, but still the same distance from the couch as the speakers.

Also, I'm thinking of going with one of the low profile, ~6" subs on parts express for the sub driver so I can make the box tall and narrow to hide on the side of a cabinet. Are those low profile sub drivers any good?

Lastly, I am falling down the rabbit hole of class d amps, and getting lost. I see a bunch of different TI based boards being talked about, but most threads get deep into amp modding which I am not ready for yet. Do you have any suggestions for an amp for the fe85 pair, and maybe a separate one for the sub? I think I can handle getting a power supply if you could point me in a good direction for the amp board itself.
 
Is the sub to satellite important only because the fe85 don't like to go very low so some of the sound from the sub will be directional?
Yes.

I do like the idea of spherical speakers on swivel mounts for better aiming. The only challenge there is my wife isn't too keen on the speakers above the tv look. Especially if it looks like Mickey Mouse ears.
Sounds like "someone" can be slightly condescending in some circumstances. :)
Anyway, mickey mouse ears on the tv would probably be popular with the kids. :D

Do you have any suggestions for an amp for the fe85 pair, and maybe a separate one for the sub? I think I can handle getting a power supply if you could point me in a good direction for the amp board itself.
The TPA3255 or the TPA3251 EVM kit (order from TI and use discount code if it still works) together with a LRS-150-48 should cover your needs well. The amp board can be configured for everything you might need. 4, 1, 2, 2+1 channel configurations can be done with jumpers already on the board. The LRS-150-48 psu should be adequate, it's reasonably priced and passive cooled.


Regarding low profile 6", I'm not a fan of low profile drivers, but I think a larger cone area could help weigh up for the potential downsides. For instance the Peerless GBS-250F38CP01-04 is a 10" that requires very little mounting depth, and the somewhat lower xmax is not such a big issue since the surface area is much larger than a 6". Granted it might look a bit silly until you get accustomed to it, but it's 78$, not too pricy.
 
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I just checked and the discount doesn't work, and 3eAudio is all sold out too. I will keep looking around, but $150 for a solid 2.1 amp doesn't seem terrible. Given that the TPA 3251 and TPA3255 EVM boards are the same price, is there any reason not to get the higher powered one?


Would this option be a good enough implementations of the reference board to be worth the lower price? Nobsound TPA3255


I didn't mean to be so dismissive of the round speakers. I only meant they wouldn't work in my available space. They could, however, work in the bedroom or on my desk. I have very little space on my desk, so a nice round speaker mounted under a wall shelf would be nice and clean.


I like that sub option. The enclosure might be bigger than I was planning, but I can probably make it slim and shallow. Here is a layout of the sub and satellites:
uwfqDJe.png



I may make the FE85 enclosures then spend some more time figuring out the sub since I would have to route wood for that where the FE85 boxes can be 3d printed. I want to go with sealed for both the sub and satellites since the volume is smaller for each. I can always reprint the satellite enclosures with a port if they really lack the low end noticeably.
 
I didn't mean to be so dismissive of the round speakers. I only meant they wouldn't work in my available space.

Hah! yeah, I didn't think you where dismissive, I thought it was funny. Imagined a certain "democratic process".
I was not saying that you should build your system like that, it was just me picturing a possible future build in my own home: Glossy black bass producing pillars with wooden orbs on top.

The TPA3255 is pretty good, I do recommend getting it from either the TI store or 3eAudio, as there can be some minor things not 100% in the nobsound or equivalent stuff on ebay.
But only the TI store has the proper EVM board that requires little to no extra work or adaption, to utilize in 4 channel or 2+1 channel mode.

You could always 3d print the sides of the sub, no?
 
ZpShqW1.png


Since you have a 3D printer, I would do a five element CBT that's horizontal.

cntrspkrmnted.jpg


Picture something like this speaker, but with a gap in the center.

I'd use something like the SB Acoustics SB65.

So the left 15" of the sound bar would be five drivers, and then a gap of about 15", and then five more drivers.

The overall width will depend on the size of your TV of course.
 
Glossy black bass producing pillars with wooden orbs on top.


Almost like the LX Mini from Linkwitz Labs? I hadn't thought of it like that. That might fit in well if I did it all white and put them on the floor in front of the fireplace. I could use a 4" dia pipe and make it real slim to better fit with my wife's decor choices.




Thats good to know about the nobsound not being quite right. I'll have to look around more for a 3eAudio board. I can't seem to find anything of their's in stock.


You could always 3d print the sides of the sub, no?


I assumed it wouldn't be do able since my largest box dim is 400mm but my printed only goes to 200x200x300mm. However, I could print up panels with the internal bracing and stuff then just screw/epoxy it all together. That opens up more possibilities since I don't have any wood working tools.
 
Since you have a 3D printer, I would do a five element CBT that's horizontal.

I'd use something like the SB Acoustics SB65.


So maybe something like this:
En5KZk7.png


I had previously looked at vertical CBT arrays, but the radius required for the angular coverage was way too small to look any good. Would the horizontal array still need an aggressive curve to cover the whole listening position?



I do like the SB65 drivers. They are almost as flat as the FE85, but do go lower, so I wouldn't be as limited in my sub placement or choice. They are a bit more expensive though.


How big would the individual enclosures need to be? I did a quick calc, and got over 5 liters which seems big to have 12 x 5 liter boxes under the tv.
 
So maybe something like this:
En5KZk7.png


I had previously looked at vertical CBT arrays, but the radius required for the angular coverage was way too small to look any good. Would the horizontal array still need an aggressive curve to cover the whole listening position?

The angle of the cabinet will determine the angle of the coverage. For instance, a 45 degree arc will give you 45 degrees of coverage. A 0 zero degree arc, aka "a straight line" will give you zero degrees.


I do like the SB65 drivers. They are almost as flat as the FE85, but do go lower, so I wouldn't be as limited in my sub placement or choice. They are a bit more expensive though.


How big would the individual enclosures need to be? I did a quick calc, and got over 5 liters which seems big to have 12 x 5 liter boxes under the tv.

My calculator says that a two liter vented box gives you an F3 of 68hz:

Ported Subwoofer Box Design Formulas & Calculator

I would use an odd number of drivers per side, that's easier to wire. For instance, five SB65s in a ten liter box on each side.

If you want to make one continous cabinet, then you could have five drivers, then a gap, then five more drivers. Volume inside of the cabinet would be 20 liters total.

You could *definitely* make the volume much smaller using an alignment like this:

Satellites and Subwoofers

This article is SUPER technical but the idea is really basic: you make a vented box about half the size you normally would. This will lead to a big peak on the low end. And then you add in a high pass filter. When everything is said and done, you wind up with a vented box that's half the size, with dramatically higher power handling. Which is just about perfect for a home theater sound bar. The QB5 alignment requires an active xover.
 
A 0 zero degree arc, aka "a straight line" will give you zero degrees.
That's the unfortunate part. I don't think my wife will like a strongly curved setup that protrudes past the front of the fireplace. I'll take a look at the angle/radius needed to get full coverage from a horizontal array, but I suspect it will be just as bad as when I tried to make a vertical array work. :/ Maybe next year I can build one for the bedroom tv, I've got a lot more depth in there.

If you want to make one continous cabinet, then you could have five drivers, then a gap, then five more drivers. Volume inside of the cabinet would be 20 liters total.

I did not realize that you could combine the cabinet into a shared cabinet for the 5 drivers. That could make things more do-able, but I still think the curve is going to be a problem. If I made 2 cabinets would each one need a separate curve, or do they both need to be on a single continuous arc?

If you want to make one continous cabinet, then you could have five drivers, then a gap, then five more drivers. Volume inside of the cabinet would be 20 liters total.
You could *definitely* make the volume much smaller using an alignment like this:

Satellites and Subwoofers

This article is SUPER technical but the idea is really basic: you make a vented box about half the size you normally would. This will lead to a big peak on the low end. And then you add in a high pass filter. When everything is said and done, you wind up with a vented box that's half the size, with dramatically higher power handling. Which is just about perfect for a home theater sound bar. The QB5 alignment requires an active xover.[/QUOTE]


I think the QB5 alignment may have a lot of potential in my application since I'm going to be using an minidsp, and I want my cabinets as small/low profile as possible. I will read that over the weekend and see if I can make sense of it. Thanks!
 
If you can't curve a tiny array, then maybe a tiny array is not for you.
Better to use a single driver instead.

Is it because of SPL capability you want a bigger surface area?
Better to get the boss lady to agree on a couple 15"s, I am a big fan of the Fane 15-300TC. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good all things considered.

Or you might consider the Tang Band W5-2143, I had one of the predecessors and it was pretty good. Will work nicely together with a sub, but I did not like it when working hard to do bass at some volume.
Above this size it's generally better to skip a few sizes and go for a 12" or bigger FR with Whizzers, ofcourse there's no rule without exception. Like for instance the Seas FA22RCZ.
 
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